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READING, UNITED KINGDOM and BILLERICA, MA--(Marketwire - Feb 4, 2013) - Trillium Software®, a business of Harte-Hanks, Inc. ( NYSE : HHS ) and a leading provider of Total Data Quality™ solutions, has commented on the final FATCA regulations published on January 28, 2013.

"The final FATCA regulations bring well-needed clarity to financial institutions, whilst continuing to highlight the necessity for firms to be able to confidently identify and report on accounts with U.S. indicia," said Jon Asprey, vice president strategic consulting at Trillium Software and leader of the Trillium FATCA Compliance Data Assessment consulting team. "Our work with financial institutions suggests that while many firms are making progress towards FATCA compliance, a good number haven't yet certified that their data capture processes and existing client information will support reliable account identification and classification."

"We'd recommend that firms gain a comprehensive assessment of the completeness and accuracy of their client data, not continue to rely upon gut-feel and assumptions," said Asprey. "Trillium proposes that institutions now certify their existing account data, as well as new client data capture processes, which should allow time to plan, resource and deliver on what could be complex remediation projects across multiple source systems."

In the United Kingdom, the need to ensure accurate FATCA reporting is re-enforced by the Data Protection Act (DPA). Customers could potentially seek damages from firms for misreporting data about them to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Similar laws could apply in other countries.

"HMRC1 has published guidelines clarifying that individuals have the right to claim compensation from an institution, as well as from HMRC, where they have suffered damage because of a breach of the DPA," said Asprey. "Under FATCA as it applies in the U.K., while an institution must inform an individual that it intends to report information about them to HMRC for automatic exchange with the US, the institution cannot indefinitely hold those files awaiting account holder approval. This further emphasises the need for firms to ensure their data is right first time, every time."

The Trillium FATCA Compliance Data Assessment consulting team was formed in 2011 and is part of Trillium Software's long established compliance consulting group.

"Recently the Trillium compliance team highlighted for one institution that as many as 100,000 accounts appear to have data issues needing manual investigation before they can be confidently verified as either subject to, or not subject to FATCA," said Asprey. "That's potentially many thousands of hours of work, but at least that bank can now plan to put such resources in place and in good time for 2014 compliance."

Trillium Software provides a comprehensive solution that accelerates FATCA compliance while minimising risks and resources. The solution leverages a pre-configured, intelligent FATCA indicia and data analysis platform to process, assess, prepare and report on individual and entity accounts impacted by the regulations.

To learn more about Trillium Software's compliance solutions, click here or contact Trillium Software sales at +44 (0)118 940 7666 or from within the U.S. at (978) 436-8900.

About Harte-Hanks Harte-Hanks® is a worldwide direct and targeted marketing company that provides direct marketing services to local, regional, national and international consumer and business-to-business marketers. Visit the Harte-Hanks Web site at http://www.harte-hanks.com or call (800) 456-9748.

About Trillium SoftwareTrillium Software® is a business of Harte-Hanks, and the leading best-of-breed enterprise data quality software and services provider in the world. Trillium's data quality experts help organizations achieve increased business value from their global data management initiatives by providing enterprise data profiling and data cleansing software solutions that collaborate with existing data systems and applications.

Trillium's data quality suite of products enable business executives and information technology professionals to profile, govern, manage, cleanse, and visualize data for CRM, MDM, regulatory and compliance, data warehouse and business intelligence initiatives. The company offers industry-specific business solutions that help solve data problems experienced by financial services, insurance, risk, healthcare and retail professionals. For more information about Trillium Software and its offerings, call (978) 436-8900 in the United States and in the United Kingdom call +44 (0) 118 940 7666, or visit Trillium Software online at http://www.trilliumsoftware.com.

1 Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs is the tax authority in the United Kingdom.

This document may contain trademarks that are owned or licensed by Harte-Hanks, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, Trillium Software®, Trillium Software System®, Total Data Quality™, and other names and marks. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.